Another Slow Day...

We had another slow day. He slept really well last night. He took his pill around 9pm and woke up around 4am this morning feeling pretty good. Only napped a couple of times today and was in pretty good spirits.

He took the new pill again this morning and took his bp low again however it wasn't as bad today so hopefully his body will begin to tolerate it.

Today's Stats:

BS - 121
WT - 188.4
BP - 110/76

12pm - 95/69
5pm - 89/68

The coughing was less often last night and so far this evening isn't as bad either. He was nausea this evening from the cooking smells and would only eat a little bit. He did keep it down so the is an improvement.

Looking forward to a good day tomorrow also.

NOW FOR A STEP BACK IN TIME...

Slow Day...

Today has been a slow and lazy day. Watched a little TV, napped, and not much else. Outdoor temps hit 90 today so summer is definitely trying to move in.

Johnny slept fairly well last night. He didn't take his sleeping pill until 1am so he was still a little groggy this morning but is doing good now. He took the new pill this morning and it did cause a drop in his blood pressure causing him to feel weak for a bit. He went out and took a walk and that seemed to help. If it does it again in the morning Sissie will be calling the Dr..

Today's Stats :

BS - 137
WT - 191.4
BP - 108/80

10:30 am 83/69
11:30 am 85/72
1:00 pm 98/82
5:30 pm 105/81

He says he is still feeling a little weak and is wanting a nausea pill. He does look a little pale. His feet are not swelling and he has not ate good today. He has been snacking on grapes and has ate nothing sweet. Sissie will try to get him to eat a little supper. He seems perked up a little now that Frank is home from work.

If things change I will update later.

What a Day...

Johnny slept pretty good last night. Only two really bad bouts with the coughing, but around 3am he was able to lie back in the recliner almost flat and slept really good. He got a little chilly around 4am and had to cover up.

He had oatmeal for breakfast and his daily banana. I won't tell you that he ate an ice cream cone for desert at breakfast. We got the new medicine today so he will start it in the morning.

Today's Stats:

BS - 210
WT - 190.4
BP - 100/78

After breakfast he took a nap...



This is the best photo of Mimi with her cast I could get...




Sissie and I had to go get groceries and Johnny's meds today so we stopped by and picked up my favorite guy...



Who ends up costing me money and making me sit in the backseat with him. The backseat of Sissie's truck is sooo small. But I would do anything for this little guy.

Kim and Devan

Johnny stayed home today and had what we like to call a "lazy day". Movies and a nap.
More tomorrow.

Dr.'s Appt Today...

Johnny had an appt. with Dr. Denardo today. Unfortunately he didn't like the way things were sounding and there was no improvement in the heart. So he has decided to go "old school" with the medication. He has decided to try Johnny on a medicine that won't lower his blood pressure at the same time. He put him on "Digoxin" @ 1 per day of .125mcg.

What is digoxin?

Digoxin is derived from leaves of a digitalis plant. It helps make the heart beat stronger and with a more regular rhythm.Digoxin is used to treat congestive heart failure.

It is also used to treat atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder of the atria (the upper chambers of the heart that allow blood to flow into the heart).

Read more: http://www.drugs.com/digoxin.html#ixzz0mM4jo5n0

Dr. Denardo said that it should make a difference in about 10 - 14 days. He says the coughing is definitely from the congestive heart failure. This should help ease the coughing also. His feet were a little swollen today but Dr. says it is not enough to worry about right now.

Still no word on the Disability claim. The Dr. wants to do an Ectogram but not until he is on Medicaid because of the expense.

The next process will be a full blood workup and then they will go from there.

Today's Stats;

BS - 158
WT - 188.2
BP - 110/82

For more information on Dr. Denardo check out this link :

http://www.healthgrades.com/directory_search/physician/profiles/dr-md-reports/dr-scott-denardo-md-a1852490

NOW FOR TODAY'S FASHION STATEMENT!

Today's photo of the day is definitely NOT a "fashion faux-pas" I am quite impressed with the way Johnny was able to accessorize his "purse" with his jeans. LOL!


Today when he took his walk he had company with him.









Someone is very unhappy with mom bringing the camera yesterday. Waiting to get the cast on.




And finally for today. Some people can be sooo hoggish with all the computers in this house but I am not one to name names! LOL!

A Very Long Day...

How late this post is, but how long this day has been. Johnny had a very rough night. He couldn't seem to get any rest from the coughing spells and couldn't sit back in the recliner. He spent half the night hanging forward and the other half of the night coughing. Every time Sissie would try to get him laying back and comfortable he would start a fit of coughing. So the best we could do was sit up with him and keep an eye out in case he fell too far forward. He wouldn't even consider trying to go to bed.

His stats today are:

BS - 117
WT - 189.4
BP - 106/82

We had to go all the way to Alachua today (little over an hour away) to see the Orthopaedic Dr. that we were referred to. Mimi has a fracture from the outer edge of the left wrist to the mid joint of her hand. Luckily she doesn't need surgery but did get a cast and will have to wear it for 4 weeks. She is young and healthy so she should heal quickly.

Johnny rode with Sissie, Mimi and me and we went through Newberry and Johnny took some time to show us his old hang-outs and places where he use to skip school. (who said that?) He didn't get too tired and actually walked into the grocery store with me while Sissie and Mimi sat in the truck. After such a rough night he had a pretty good day.

On another front we also found out today that Frankie Jr. (my son) was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. So the week has not started as good as I would like.

Tomorrow Johnny has an appt. with his cardiologist at 3:40pm. His feet are a little swollen today but not so much to be terribly concerned. The cardiologist will let them know how to handle it.

Don't have a picture for today as I was driving and didn't get to take any pictures. Mimi and Sissie took a couple for me of the trains we passed but somehow missed out on getting our Picture of the Day. (shame on them)

Will do better tomorrow, and make sure to post some pictures.
Good night for now.

Never Ending.....

Sorry so late for posting today but Sissie and I spent a good bit of time at the hospital last night. Not for Johnny this time, but for my daughter Mimi. She went to her first formal dance last night and at some point towards the end of the evening she and a friend were horsing around and they fell and Mimi broke her left wrist. So now we are in for a long day Monday with the Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon in Gainesville. The dr. last night doesn't think she will need surgery but we will have to wait and see.

Johnny had a very good night last night. Once he was able to stem the coughing he went right on to sleep and was able to sleep all through the night. This mornings stats are good.

Todays Stats:

BS - 84
WT - 188
BP - 105/88

He has been up and been in and out of the kitchen snacking this morning. He is napping right now.



Today's pictures will show you just how successful we weren't in keeping him indoors last evening. Of course anytime there is a grill going he is standing over it. You can see in the photo how frustrated he is to only watch and not do.

From the third picture you can see Frank up on the step ladder and Johnny standing holding a flashlight and some tools. They had decided they didn't like the way the air conditioning vent was blowing towards their chairs so they turned it around. Teamwork huh?



I've also added pictures of Mimi in her dress before the dance and her after the dance in her splint. Tomorrow we go get the cast.

Not a Good Evening...

Yesterday evening didn't go so well for Johnny. The coughing spasms continued to get worse and about 8pm he spiked a fever of 103.4. It was at this point that he agreed to have an ambulance to come check him out.

When they arrived his fever was down to 101.9. His BP reading was 110/78 which for him is a little elevated. They checked his heart and lungs. They said that there was no fluid on the lungs but there was plenty of phlem. They indicated that there sounded like an infection going on. A trip to the hospital wasn't necessary but he did need to see his primary care dr. first thing in the morning.

He did go this morning and yes there is an infection going on. He was prescribed Doxycycl Hyc 100mg. He also has an appt scheduled with his cardiologist for Tues. at 3pm.

The EMT's recommended advil and mucinex to help him through the night. He was able to sleep fairly well.

The following pic is not indicative of how he sleeps all night but when he first dozes off and Sissie goes and settles him back. What we are showing here is his night watchman behind him. The alien looks over his shoulder all night long. (Frankie got it at a Chris Young concert.) One of the EMT's was totally freaked out by it.



He has had a pretty good day so far today. We plan to have bar-b-que on the grill (Shelby and Frankie are doing the outdoor cooking. No way we will let Johnny out into all that pollen) and have a deer ham I am roasting in the oven.

Today's stats:

BS - 112
WT - 185.8
BP - 110/84


Today's pics were taken yesterday when Peanut came by to pick up Johnny.



And finally today's closing pic is in honor of Lew Scoggins. This is Lou Tyson, our "free range" rooster. Lew and Lou have formed a bond so I put up this picture of him to let him know that he is still patrolling and waking everyone up at all hours of the night. "He misses you Lew".

Attitudity..

That exactly describes the way he has been all through the night. He had a horrible attitude towards Sissie. He was snapping her head off with every word. It was a very rough night. Around 2am he began running a temp of 101.4. His left eye was red and swollen. His feet have had some minumal swelling. We wanted to call the ambulance but he absolutely refused. Sissie told him she would give him 2 hours for the fever to come down or we would call. He agreed.

Two hours later the temp had dropped to 99.1. He was able to rest and nap some. He had a sleeping pill and the cough medicine to help the coughing spasms (which were worse yesterday).

After day light this morning he began feeling easier though he is worried about the slight swelling. Now he is thinking he should back off on the liquids. He took a walk down to US19 which is about a quarter mile.

He had oatmeal for breakfast but has had nothing since. He just refused lunch or anything to drink.

He is currently waiting on brother Peanut to pick him up and go to Windy's to pick up a lawn mower. Of course we are afraid he will overdo it.

Today's pic was taken by Sissie. (hence the blurriness). This is where he sleeps most nights. He is very uncomfortable when he lies flat on the bed.

The other pic I took of him trying to sneak a sausage while Sissie wasn't looking.



The chart I've loaded here is a daily graph of his weight. It is easier for Sissie to notice whether his weight is rising to quickly or not.



Sissie has called Dr. Denardo's office (Johnny's cardiologist) and is waiting for them to call her back to see what they want her to do. They had already told her to up his lasix from 20mg to 40mg on days when he is swollen so she upped it this morning.

If you would like to leave a comment, just click on the comment below this post. We would love to hear from you.

A Good Night

Johnny had a very good night last night. Though the coughing continues it is not nearly as bad as it was. He slept a full 7 hours and got up this morning as Frank was getting ready for work. They laughed and joked about old times on the various jobs they had together. It was too early for his breakfast so he started a movie "Danger Beneath the Sea".

At breakfast time he refused breakfast saying he wasn't hungry. However he has had two small snacks. An ice cream sandwich and a slice of cheese. (I know, I know, but you all know how hard headed he is.)

His stats for today:

BS - 87
WT - 191.8
BP - 92/74

He has already had one nap this morning, has gotten dressed and is now watching "Mckenna's Gold" with Gregory Peck.

To keep up with Johnny's stats we use a Dated Monthly planner.











This is the easiest and best way for us to keep track and when he goes to the Dr. all he has to do is carry this book with him.

Todays picture of him was taken by Sissie as he was sitting out at the picnic table. She was saddened by how lonely he looks. He likes to sit out there and make phone calls. Yesterday evening he rode down the road to visit with a friend. Didn't tire himself out too much at all.

For dinner last night we had spaghetti and meatballs. He was able to keep it down. So he got through a whole day without any vomiting spells. So all in all yesterday was a very good day!

Why This Blog?

Sissie and I (Kim, Sissie's sister) have decided that starting and keeping a daily blog would be a good way for everyone to check in daily and see how Johnny is doing, see pictures and share memories.

Some days will be good days and I am sure some days will be more difficult, but to keep a journal of Johnny's activities will be easier access for all who care for him. Of course we still enjoy the phone calls, but this blog will give you an up to the minute (I hope I can keep it up to date) idea of how things are going.

So let's start with today....

Every morning the first thing that is done is Johnny checks his Blood Sugar, then takes his weight, and then his blood pressure. We keep a daily log of it.

Today's stats are as follows...

BS -- 113
Wt -- 190
Bp -- 101/76

He had a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and then had a dr's appt with his primary care dr.
The coughing is from allergy and has nothing to do with his heart.

He is looking much better today. Yesterday was a pretty rough day. Couldn't keep warm enough, naseous and exhausted. Today he has more energy and slept the whole night through.